January - Garnet

This juicy gemstone know for it’s rich pomegrante hues also comes in a myriad of beautiful colours.

Garnet beads were found in 1st Dynasty, circa 3000 BCE Tomb of Mena, Naqada and Abydos Cemetery B, Egypt. In the necklaces below the gemstone beads comprised from the top with Garnet in deep red hue and then carnelian and coral mixed necklace below. The necklace now resides at The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.

February - Amethyst

Purple lovers gemstone of choice, it’s hues go from a light lilac to this stonge royal purple. The word amethyst is derived from the Greek word 'amethystos' which means 'sober'. Goblets have been found carved out of Amethyst in attemps i’m sure to help the drinker stay sober. It has also been claimed that amethyst has a sobering effect on those 'drunk' on love.

March - Aquamarine & Bloodstone

Aquarmarine is a blue or cyan coloured variety of the beryl gemstone. The ancient Romans believed that aquamarine would protect against any dangers while travelling at sea, and that it provided energy and cured laziness.

Bloodstone has had a magical past. Firsty magicians used it as a stone of invisibility, then it was used in rituals to make rain, solar eclipse and finally its special virtue in divination and preserving health and youthfulness.

April - Diamond

“Diamonds are forever” Diamonds are the hardest material on earth, 58 times harder than anything else in nature. They are form under high temperature and pressure conditions that exist only about 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface. 50 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus is a star called ‘Lucy’ after the beetles song “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” At the white dwarf star’s core is the galaxy's largest diamond at 10 billion-trillion-trillion carats.

For more diamond knowledge - Diamond Page.

May - Emerald

Emerald's name is derived from the Greek word smaragdus, meaning “green gem.” The deeper or more green an emerald is, the more valuable it is. The rarest emerald gemstones are a intense green-blue colour.

The Duke of Devonshire Emerald is one of the world's largest and most famous uncut emeralds, weighing 1,383.93 carats. Originating in the mine at Muzo, Colombia, it was either gifted or sold by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil to William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire in 1831. Today its resides in “The Vault” at the Natural History Museum.

June - Pearl & Alexandrite

Perhaps the most coverted gems of all time, pearls both natural and cultured are born in wide variety of colours. The most familiar are white and cream, but the palette of colours extends to every hue. Natural pearls form around a microscopic irritant in the bodies of certain mollusks. Cultured pearls are the result of the deliberate insertion of a bead or piece of tissue that the mollus. Pearls are treasures from the Earth’s ponds, lakes, seas and oceans, and they’ve always embodied the mystery, power and life-sustaining nature of water.

There are many tales of pearls but my favourt is how the spherical shape and milkness of pearls mirrors the moon. In ancient Vedic texts, pearls are considered the daughter of the moon controling the oceans, where pearls are formed. Some associate pearls with Venus, the goddess of love, who was also born from the sea. In Europe, they symbolised modesty, chastity and purity.

Alexandrite is a “Emerald by day, ruby by night.” This colour changing variety of chrysoberyl has the best colour changing atruibutes of all the gemstones. This wonder makes it one of the rarest and most expensive of gems.

Found in 19th Century making it a relivetly new gemstone. The Alexandrite was named after Prince Alexander II because it was discovered at emerald mines by the Tokovaya River in Russia’s Ural Mountains on the day of Prince Alexander II of Russia’s birthday. Miners were collecting emeralds at the foot of the mountains or what one miner thought was emeralds. By the light of the campfire, the stones shone a brilliant shade of red! The miners were perplexed. When morning came and they saw that the stones were green again in the light, they realised that they had found a new and mysterious gem.

July - Ruby

The star Ruby exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as asterism. Contain intersecting needle-like inclusions that cause the appearance of a six rayed star. The ancients regarded star ruby gems as a very powerful talisman, a guiding star for travelers. They were so powerful, they were said to continue to protect the wearer even after being passed on to someone else. The three rays of light that create the star are said to symbolize trust, hope and destiny.

August - Peridot

The name peridot is from the Greek word 'peridona' which means 'to give richness'. Peridots electric lime or olive green colour means it wont be mistaken for another green gemstone. Peridot has been found in Pallasite Meteorite a remnants from the birth of our solar system.

September - Sapphire

My faviourt a star sapphire are a 'phenomenon' stone due to thier 6 pointed star created by needle-like inclusion. Sapphires are high on the Mohs scales at 9, most durable stones after diamonds making them perfect for engangment rings. Very fashionable in the 1920’s, usally set in white gold with diamonds in a art deco style. Most commonly thought of as blue but actually can be pink, orange, clear, yellow, green and many other colours.

October - Opal & Tourmaline

Opals hold a galaxys of shifting kaleidoscopic light which captivate like no other gemstone. The rainbow lighting is created by light waves bending and breaking up between the spheres stacked structure of an opal, resulting in the play of colour.

The Bedouins, desert nomads of North Africa, believed opals fell from the sky during thunderstorms and contained lightning.

Tourmaline come in many colours but my faviorte is the watermelon. The crystals may be green at one end and pink at the other, or green on the outside and pink inside. Some forms of tourmaline are dichroic (changing colour when viewed from different angles)